Announcement

I just wanted to let everyone know that the forum changed hands on October 31, 2012. Drew and I have been working on a deal for a while now and everything finally came together. The forum will be getting a face lift over the next few weeks. Our web designer will be making the site more user friendly and giving it a modern look. We will also be integrating social media and an aggressive SEO campaign to attract new members.

I recently invited AuctionsTX.com's 1000+ members to come be a part of the forum, so hopefully things will be more lively around here. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

I noticed you were admin now and knew something was up.  Congratulations, I hope it works out and maybe we can get some more new content and liven it up around here!

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I think the key to taking this forum to the next level is getting more people involved in the discussion and the key to getting more people involved is getting the forum seen by more people. The forum is currently ranking at the bottom of the second page of Google for the search term "storage auctions". Now, that isn't such a bad thing considering that the forum has had virtually no SEO and has come this far on it's content alone. The bad thing is that 96% of people searching Google click on a result on the first page. Only 6% continue to the second page and select a result.

The good news is that SEO and internet marketing are my specialty. I'm going to devote the next several months to getting this forum in the top 5 search results, where it rightfully belongs. Once it gets into that position, I think we will see an increase in new members and participation.

Well gratz tclane on your aquasition.  I will however be pestamistic.  I don't know how many forums I've been on that were good or what I really like that got sold and then went south.  Of course in those cases the site owners built up the sites just so they could sell them.

Good luck in this new adventure.

My first clue was your recent re-appearance after many months off....that and the "kinder, gentler" tone of the dozen or so posts you put up one day recently !

Be interesting to see where the forum goes from here. Not much of a you-tube fan myself, but find it useful now and again.

Well gratz tclane on your aquasition. 
Good luck in this new adventure.

Thanks. Well, I definitely plan to build the forum up but I'm not interested in selling it. In the midst of Leviathans like Storage Treasures & AuctionZip, it's an ongoing battle for my Texas site to keep up with the competition. Having this site, evens things up a bit. Besides that, I enjoy hanging out with you guys.

Yeah, MM, I have been posting a lot lately. Most of you guys know that Drew kind of watched things from behind the scenes and then jumped in when he needed to. Of course, he has a full time job and couldn't devote as much time to the forum as he wanted to. I want to take a more hands on approach and be engaged in the conversation on a day to day basis.

There probably won't be much You Tube, but my web designer will be adding a feature that will allow you to send posts directly to Facebook, Twitter, Google + or even email them to a friend. The main purpose of if integrating the social media is to get others involved; However, Google's algorithm does consider a website's social media accounts when determining where to rank it in the search results.

I just want you all to know that it's still going to be business as usual around here. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, I'm just trying to get it to turn a little faster.

Thanks. Yeah, Drew did an awesome job building this forum. He was and still is an integral part of this forum's growth. I'm sure he'll stay involved, this is his baby.

Welcome back Tclane, and Congradulations.

For me, one of the issues with an open forum, is: Is this just a place for people interested in storage auctions just to shoot the BS, or is this a place where real buyers/business owners can get information and help.

I think one of the drawbacks to having this forum, especially with all the interest in the industry fueled by the TV shows, is how much inside info are the members willing to give?

I think most only want to give the basics, and all the basics have been covered, so now we are down to BSing.

No, the forum did change ownership. I just meant that I'm sure Drew will still participate in the conversation from time to time.

I'm glad to have passed it off to someone who will be able to invest the time and resources to make it what it should be! I just did not have the time to make the improvements to take this forum to the next level. I was always very proud of the forum. We were the first storage auction forum around and believe it or not was conceived before the tv shows. I will definitely be around!

Welcome back Tclane, and Congradulations.

For me, one of the issues with an open forum, is: Is this just a place for people interested in storage auctions just to shoot the BS, or is this a place where real buyers/business owners can get information and help.

I think one of the drawbacks to having this forum, especially with all the interest in the industry fueled by the TV shows, is how much inside info are the members willing to give?

I think most only want to give the basics, and all the basics have been covered, so now we are down to BSing.

I believe that this forum is a place where real buyers/business owners can get information, network and socialize with others. I agree, there has been a lot of small talk lately and not a lot of substance but I'm going to do my best as a moderator to come up with some new categories and topics to keep the forum churning. I want to get it to a point where everyone knows there is going to be something new waiting for them here when they return.

Personally, I am willing to share anything I know to help others in this business and I think most of the other members here feel that way. Perhaps, by better educating the newcomers in our business we can make a difference for everyone.

I didn't know what was going on but I had a feeling there was going to be some new blood. :-) Good luck to all and congrats!